Clip applying mechanism



y 1943- c. F. JACKSON 2,325,322

CLIP APPLYING MECHANISM Filed July 1, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l 51 CHARLES FJAEKEUN j m M12 7! y 27, 1943- c. F. JACKSON 2 2,325,322

CLIP APPLYING MECHANISM Filed July 1, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ICHARLEEFJAEKEUN July 27, 1943. c. F. JACKSON 2,325,322

CLIP APPLYING MECHANISM Filed July 1, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 gwvwmEHAF'LEE F .JAEKEUN Patented July 27,1943,

CLIP APPLYING MECHANISM Charles F. Jackson, Jackson, Mich, acsignor toReynolds Spring Company, Jackson. Mich, a

corporation of Delaware Application July 1, 1940, Serial No. 348,361

29 Claims.

The present invention relates to an automatic wire clip forming andfastening machine, and

more particularly to such a machine adapted for use in the springcushion industry.

In the manufacture of spring cushion seats, mattresses and the likewherein a plurality of helical springs on end are disposed adjacent eachother, such springs are commonly secured together by wire clips knowngenerally as pig or hog rings. The almost universal practice is to formthese rings into generally U-shaped clips and then to close themtogether on work by means of manually operated pliers. This procedure isnot only slow, but also is exceedingly hard on'the hands of theoperators. The apparatus according to the present inventionautomatically forms the U-shaped clips and closes them about work. Oneof the principal features of the invention is its simplification broughtabout by the forming of one clip and the closing of another clip in asingle downward movement of an operative member.

An object of the present invention is to automatically feed, form andclose a clip about work upon a single cycle of movement of areciprocating member.

Another object of the present invention is to automatically form andclose a clip about work upon a single downward movement of an opera-.tive member.

Another object of the invention is to form clips, store them forsubsequent use and to feed them into clip closing jaws.

A further object of the invention is to form a wire clip over a post, tostore clips thus formed on the post and to feed stored clips, one at atime, from said post into clip closing jaws.

A still further object of the invention is to provide link actuated clipclosing jaws, the movements of which are regulated by laterally disposedflcation when taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine according to the presentinvention, with the side cover plate removed from a portion of theoperative structure,

Egg. 2 is a side elevation of the invention beinz use Fig. 3 is asection on the line Ill-III of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a. section on the line VV of Fig. 1, FiFigl. 6 is a view takenon the line VI-VI of Fig. 'I is a section on the line VIIVII of Fig. 5,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of the Jaws, and

Fig. 9 is a section on the line IX-IX of Fig. 5.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the referencecharacters I indicate driving pulleys connected through a single cycleclutch mechanism 2 of some well known constructiomto a shaft 3 having atone end thereof 1 a crank 4. A connecting rod Ii is driven by the crank!and reciprocates a rod 8. The rod 8 actuates mechanism within the body'I to form generally U-shaped clips 8 from wire 9 fed from some suitablesource. Also actuated by the rod guides adjacent the path of movementof. said Jaws.

A still further object of the invention is to form a wire clip about apost, to store the clips thus formed on the post and to further form theclips while they are on the post.

A still further object of the invention is to provide wire clip formingdies and shearing means associated with said dies whereby as said diesare moved relatively together, a predetermined length of wire disposedbetween said dies is cut in advanceof the forming action of said dies.

These and other objects residing in the arrangement, construction andcombination of the parts will be apparent from the following speci- 6are clip closing jaws III, into which one clip at a time is fed andwhich operates to close the clip 8 about adjacent coils ii of closelyarranged springs i2, shown enclosed in fabric casings it, moved on atable H beneath the body 1. It will be understood that the fabriccasings ll about the coil springs i2 are not an essential part of thework on which the apparatus, according to the present invention, isadapted to operate, but comprise merely a portion of a cushion springconstruction, a step in the manufacture of which is illustrated.

The body I consists of a main housing i8, secured to a frame member l9.The frame member i9 is provided with a bored boss 20 for receiving andguiding the rod 6. The main housing It consists of side members 2| and22, shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 6, connected by a centralpartition 23, shown particularly in Figs. 5 and 6. The side members 2|and 22 of the main housing l8 comprise two opposite sides of the body I.The other opposite sides of the body I are side plates 24 and 25, shownparticularly in Figs. 5 and 6.

Within the body iis a slide member 26, shown particularly in Fig. 5. Theslide 26 is connected to the rod 6 for reciprocation therewith, by a pin21. The slide 26 is provided with a block 28,

laterallythrough a vertical slot 26 in the side member 22 of the mainhousing l6. Vertically reciprocable in the slot 26 andsecured to theblock 26 by a screw i a feeding dog holder 3|. The dog holder 3| isbifurcated at the lower end thereof to provide a slot 32 in which ismounted a feeding dog 33 by a pivot I14.

Mounted at one side of the body 1 is a casing into which the feeding dog83 projects and which pivotally supports a star wheel 4 I fixed forrotation with a gear 42, meshing with a gear 43. The gear 43 in turnmeshes with a gear 44, pivotally supported on a bell crank arm about aprojection 46 extending from the casing 40. The gear 43 and 44 havefixed for rotation therewith grooved wire feeding rollers 41 and 43respectively.

Each time the rod 6 moves down under the action of the crank 4, the dogholder 3| moves the dog 33 into engagement with the star wheel 4| togive the same a partial rotation, thereby rotating through the gears 42,43, and 44, the feeding rollers 41 and 48 to feed a predetermined lengthof the wire 9 into the body 1 for formation into a clip. Tension on thefeeding rollers 41 and 48 is controlled by an adjustment screw 49 inthreaded engagement with the vertical arm of the bell crank lever andbearing against the outside of the casing 40, a shown particularly inFig. 1. In order to prevent the dog 33 from rotating the star wheel 4|in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, the dog 33 is heldin outwardly projected position by a weak cantilevered leaf spring 56,3| by a screw 5|, as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 3. Thus, as thedog 33 moves upwardly, it will be cammed by the star wheel 4| out ofoperative relation therewith until it i in position above the star wheel4| in which position it will be returned outwardl to its normaloperative position by the spring 50.

The wire 9 after leaving the feeding rolls 41 and 48 passes through atubular cut-off bushing 52, shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 9, secured in a bore53 in the side member 22 by a set screw 54. From the cut-off bushin 52,the wire 6 projects over a post 55 into position to be formed into agenerally U-shaped clip over the post 55 by a moving die 56. The die 56is secured to the slide 26 for reciprocation therewith, and is disposeddirectly above the wire 3 in its position over the post 55.

Arranged about the post 55, as disclosed particularly in Figs. 5 and 7,are three feeding pins 51, one on each side and one on the top forpushing clips along the post 55 after they are formed. In order that thepins 51 may obtain a suflicient bearing against the clips, they arerecessed slightly into the post 55. Th pins 51 are fixed to a plate 60,shown particularly in Fig. 5. The pins 51 also are slidably disposed ina post support 6|, integral with the post 55, and secured to a postsupport holder 62, in turn connected to the main housing |8. The plate66 together with pins 51, connected thereto, are laterally reciprocableagainst the action of two springs 63, shown in Figs. 5 and 6, disposedabout pins 64, secured to the plate and sildable in a bracket 65 rigidwith the main housing l8. Also secured to the plate 60 are two followerpins 66, shown in Figs 5 and 7. The follower pins 56 are slidable in thepost support holder 62 into and out of the path of movement of cammingfinger 61 which are secured to the slide 26 adjacent the die and arereciprocable with the slide 26.

connected to the dog holder 45, pivoted 9,885,892 shown particularly inFigs. 1, 8 and 4', projecting From Fig. 5 it will be clear that thefeeding pins 51 are normally positioned to the left as viewed in Fig. 5of the position to which the wire 3 is fed by the feeding rolls 4! and48.- As the slide 26 moves down under the action of the rod 6, thecamming fingers '61 engage with the pins 66 to cam the plate 60 and withit the feedin pins 51 to the right against the action of the springs 63,bearing against the plate 60. This operation not only removes thefeeding pins 51 from a position at which they would interfere with theoperation of the die 56, but also places the feeding fingers 51 in aposition from which they may move to the left under the action of thesprings 63, following the raising of the camming fingers 61 from cammingrelation with the follower pins 66, to feed formed clips along the post55.

The inner end of the cut-off bushing 52 is provided with a shearing edge68 disposed at an angle to the direction of movement or the wire 6.Cooperating with the shearing edge 68 on the cut oil bushing 52 is ashearing edge 69 at one side of the die 56. As shown particularly inFig. 7, the shearing edge 69 of the die '56 is somewhat in advance ofthe active portion of the die 56 shown in dotted outline in Fig. 7. Thuas the die 56 moves downwardly under the action of the slide 26, theshearing edges 68 and 69 cooperate toshear oil. the predetermined lengthof wire 6 that has been fed over the post 55. Following the shearingaction the die 56 immediately engages the predetermined length of wire 9and forms the same over the post 55 into a clip substantially U-shape inconfiguration. In order to improve the forming action of the die 56, thesides of the post 55, cooperating with the die 56, are slightlyundercut. An undercut of 2 has been found to be satisfactory. As the die56 and the camming fingers 61 move upwardly under the action of theslide 26, following the clip forming operation, the camming fingers 61move out of engagement with the follower pins 66 to permit the springs53 to actuate the pins 51 to move the newly formed clip slightly to theleft along the post 55. The apparatus is now in position to form anotherclip. Thus, as the slide 26 moves down, it not only moves with it thedog 33 to feed a predetermined length of wire 9 over the post 55, butalso cooks the feeding pins 51 to free the post 55 for another clipforming operation.

Associated with the post 55 and secured to the post holder 6| is astripper bar 69 to strip clips from the die 56 as the die 56 movesupwardly following the forming operation, the clips being disposedbetween the post 55 and the bar 6|. A recess 10, shown particularly inFig. 7, is provided in the die 56 to receive the stripper bar 69 duringthe actual clip forming operation.

The slide 26 in addition to actuating the die 55 and the camming fingers61 also actuates the jaws III which are connected to the slide 26 bylink 1| each provided with pivotal connections at each end. The jaws IDare each pivoted to movable plates 12 by pins 13. When the jaws l6 arein their upper position, the portions thereof below the plates 12 aredisposed adjacent the end of the post 55 and are spaced apart as shownin Fig. 1 to receive clips from the post 55. The portions of the Jaws l0above the plates 12 ex-- tend generally straight upwardly, but have thelinks 1| pivoted thereto at positions spaced laterally outwardly tweenand the slide 26, so that when the slide 25 moves downwardly it willtend to act through the link 1| to pivot the jaws i0 about the pins fromthe pivotal points therebeto provide parallel channels 14 and cavities15 in which the upper ends of jaws it slide during movement of the slide28. During the first portion or the downward movement of the jaw l0,their upper ends are guided by the channels 14. However, during thelatter part of their downward movement, due to the outward expandingaction of the links 1|, the upper ends of the jaws III will moveoutwardly into the cavities 15 swin ing the lower ends of the jawstogether about a clip therein to close the clip on work placedbeneaththe jaws III.

In order to insure a strong closing action by the jaws l0, there isprovided adjacent the lower path of movement of the jaws ID, a stop 18,which is carried by a pair of rods 11, slidably disposed in and guidedby a bar 18, projecting laterally from and preferably comprising a partof the cover plate 25. The rods 11 also .project through a freelymovable tie bar 18 and have disposed on them between .the bars 18 and18, springs 80. The stop 15 projects through an opening 8| in the sideplate and is disposed in the path of movement of the outside plate 12 towhich the jaws I8 are pivotally supported. Thus,'dur-ing downwardmovement of the jaws l8, when the plate 12 strikes the stop 15, furtherdownward movement will be resisted by the action of the springs 80 withthe result that the links 1| will forcefully close the jaws Hi to closea clip therein on the workbeing operated upon.

As shown particularly in Fig. 5, as the clips 8 are formed about thepost 55, they are stored on the post 55, being stepped laterally by theaction of the feeding fingers 51. Adjacent the cut off bushing 52, thereis disposed a pair of forming fingers 82, pivoted to the partition 23,about pins 53. The forming fingers are disposed on opposite sides of thepost 55 and have forming surfaces 84 adapted to engage with the sides ofthe clips 8 disposed on the post 55 as they pass opposite the fingers82. The fingers 82 are actuated by a wedge cam 85, comprising a portionof the follower 25 and movable downwardly therewith. The Wedge cam isarranged to cam outwardly the upper follower ends 85 of the formingfingers 82. To cooperate with the forming surfaces 84 of the formingfingers 82, the post 55 is provided with materially undercut sides 81,shown particularly in Figs. 5 and 7, at the portion thereof opposite andpast the forming fingers 82. Thus, as the die 55 moves downwardly toform a spring clip, the cam 85 also moves downwardly to cam the formingsurfaces 84 against previously formed clips to further form them againstthe undercut side portions 81 of the post 55. It will be understood thateach time a clip is formed, it is moved along the Post 55 by the feedingfingers 51 and that therefore the clips will be fed following theirforming into position opposite the forming fingers 82.

When the post 55 has been filled with formed clips, as shownparticularly in Fig. 5, an additiona1 feeding movement of the feedingpins 51 will force a clip 8 from the post 55 into the space between thejaws Hi. The jaws l5 each are provided with clip receiving recesses88,shown in Fig. 8 and are arranged so that they may yield apart slightlyin order to permit the reception of a clip 8 and then resiliently closeagainst a clip moved therebetween to resiliently support the same priorto the downward movement of the slide 25 carrying with it the jaws III.This result is accomplished by arranging the jaws I8 so that when theyare in their upper position, as disclosed inFig. l, the inside edges 88thereof are resiliently held apart by a spring 88 disposed in pockets inthe jaws It. It will be understood that since the jaws III are pivotedabout pins 13, if the upper inside faces 88 are yieldably held apart,the lower active portions of the jaws l0 maybe yieldably urged apart. a

For the purpose of forcefully urging the lower clip engaging portions ofthe jaws l8 apart when they are in their upward clip receivingpositions, and thereby insuring that the jaws 18 are spaced apartsufilciently to receive a clip 8, notwithstanding any playthat mightexist in the parts, there are provided in the cover plate 25 and in thepartition 23 respectively, shoulders 83 constituting upper limits orstops for the movement of the jaw pivoting plates 12. When these plateshit the stops 83, slight continued upward movement of the slide. resultsin the links 1| pulling the upper ends'of the jaws l8 together andpivoting the lowerends thereof outwardly.

In order to provide an additional forming of the clips 8 disposed on thepost 55, the jaws I0 are undercut to provide forming surfaces 84,

shown particularly in Figs. 5 and 8. These surfaces are disposed inrecesses into which the end of the post 55 projects. Thus, as the jawsH] are moved downwardly under the action of the slide 25 through thelinks 1|, and the lower ends of the jaws ID are moved together to closea clip therein on the work being operated upon, the surfaces 84 willcome together and urge the clips 8 opposite the surfaces 84 against theundercut sides 81 of the post 55 to further form the clips.

From the foregoing specification, it will be clear that the machine,according to the present invention, operates as follows: The clutchmechanism 2 is tripped to automatically give the shaft 3 one completerevolution. With the parts in the position as shown in the drawings, themachine is about to start a cycle of operation, and a clip 8 is disposedin the jaws [0. As the shaft 3 rotates, the rod 5 is moved downwardlyunder the action of the crank 4 and the connecting rod 5 to move theslide 25 downwardly. As the slide 25 moves downwardly, it forces the dog33 against the star wheel 4| to rotate the feeding rollers 41 and tofeed a predetermined length of wire 8 into position to be formed into aclip between the post 55 and the stripper bar 68. Continued downwardmovement of the slide 26 causes the camming fingers 61 to cam thefollower pins 86 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 5, to move the plate68, carrying with it the feeding fingers 51 to the right. The feedingfingers 51 are timed to move to the right to avoid interference with thewire 8 being fed through the cut-oif tube 52 into position to be formedinto a clip by the die 55. The'die 56 is provided with a shearing edge58 for cooperating with a shearing edge 88 on the cut-off tube 52 to cutoff the predetermined length of wire 8 disposed over the post 55, justprior to the forming by the die 55. Following the cutting off of thewire 8,

the die 55 immediately forms the cutoif piece of wire over the post 55into a clip. The side walls of the post 55 at the portion thereofcooperating with the die 56 are only very slightly undercut so'that theclip as originally formed is generally U-shaped in configuration. As theclip is being formed by the die 56, the wedged cam 85 cooperates withthe follower portions 88 of the forming fingers 82 to urge the formingsurfaces 84 of the forming fingers 32 into engagement with previouslyformed clips on the post 58 and to force them against the materiallyunderout sides 81 of the post 55. This second forming operation has theresult of providing the clips th a partially closed contour asdistinguished from a substantially U-shaped form. At the same time, thejaws l8 are being moved downwardly by the links H to close the clip 8 inthe jaws l over work being operated on. As the jaws III are beingclosed, the forming surfaces 84 of the jaws 18 are brought intoengagement with clips adjacent the outer end of the post 55 to urge themagainst the materially undercut sides 81 of the post 55 to further formthe clips.

When the hereinabove enumerated operations have been completed, theslide 28 has reached the bottom of its movement and starts to moveupwardly under the action of the crank 4 through its connecting rod andthe rod 8. As the slide 26 moves upwardly, the jaws [0 open under theaction of the links H and the channels H. At the same time, the cammingfingers 5! move away from camming relation with the follower pins 66 topermit the plate 60 and with it the feeding pins 51 to move to the leftto step the newly formed clip one step to the left as viewed in Fig. 5,and at the same time, to feed a previously formed clip into the recesses88 of the jaws Ill.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent and claim is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a vertically movable memberhaving clip forming means and separate clip closing means, and meanscooperating with said member to form a clip from one end of a continuouslength of wire and to close another clip, previously formed thereby, onwork upon a single downward movement of said member.

2. In a machine of the character described, a vertically movable memberhaving clip forming means and separate clip closing means, means to feeda length of wire into operative relation with said member, and meanscooperating with said member to out said wire into a predeterminedlength, to form said wire into a clip and to close another clip,previously formed thereby, on

work upon a single downward movement of said member.

3. In a machine of the character described, a vertically movable memberhaving a clip forming die and separate clip closing means, apostdisposed in operative relation to said clip forming die and normal tothe path of movement of said die, means to feed a length of wire betweensaid post and clip forming die, and means cooperating with said memberto out off a predetermined length of wire, to form said wire into a clipover said post and to close another clip, previously formed thereby, onwork upon a single downward movement of said member.

4. In a machine of the character described, a vertically reciprocablemember having a clip forming die and a pair of clip closing jaws, a postin operative relation with said clip forming die and normal to thedirection of movement thereof, means to feed a predetermined length ofwire between said post and said die, and means cooperating with saidmember to cut off said predetermined length of said wire, to form a clipfrom said length of wire, about said post for storage thereon, and tofeed a previously formed asaasaa clip stored on said post into said jawsand to actuate said jaws to close said last named clip on work upona.single cycle of movement of said member.

5. In a machine of the character described, a substantially horizontalpost, means to form substantially U-shaped clips on said post and tostore the same thereon, forming fingers cooperating with said post toshape said clips, a pair of clip closing jaws adjacent one end of saidpost, means to feed a clip from said end of said post into said jaws,and means on said jaws upon actuation thereof to further form clips onsaid post prior to being fed.

6. In a machine of the character described, a substantially horizontalpost, means to form substantially U-shaped clips on said post and tostore the same thereon, a pair of clip closing jaws adjacent one end ofsaid post, means to feed a clip from said end of said post into saidjaws, and means on said jaws upon actuation thereof to further form aclip on said post prior to being fed.

7. In a machine 01' the character described, clip forming means, clipclosing means, means for receiving clips as they are formed, means tofeed a clip at a time from said receiving means into said clip closingmeans, means to actuate said clip closing means to close a clip thereinon n work, and means operable with said actuating means to cook saidfeeding means.

8. In a machine of the character described, clip forming means, clipclosing means, means for receiving clips as they are formed, springactuated means to feed a clip at a time into said clip closing means, areciprocable member, a connection betweensaid reciprocable member andsaid clip closing means to actuate the same to close a clip therein onwork, and means connected to said reciprocable member to cook saidfeeding means while said closing means is being actuated.

9. In a machine of the character described, a

ing said arms intermediate their ends to said body, a clip closing jawat one end of each of said arms, said jaws being adjacent to andcooperating with each other, means connected to the other ends of saidarms to reciprocate the same in a direction generally axially of saidarms, and when exerting a force toward said jaws to exert a relativelyoutwardly acting force on said arms, means to restrain the downwardmovement of said arms under the action of said reciprocating means,andmeans to control the pivotal movement of said arms with respect to saidbody when said reciprocating means exerts a force toward said jawswhereby upon the exertion of said last named force said arms move in ageneral axial said body to bring said direction until said restrainingmeans become operative and then are pivoted with respect to jawstogether to close a clip therein.

10. In a machine of the character described, a relatively fixed body, apair of arms reciprocable in said relatively fixed body in a generallyaxial direction, a movable body, means pivoting said arms intermediatetheir ends to said body, a clip closing jaw at one end of said arms,said jaws being adjacent to and cooperating with each other, meansconnected to the other ends of said arms .to reciprocate the same in adirection 'generally axially of said arms, and when exerting a forcetoward said jaws to exert a relatively outwardly acting force on saidarms, and guides on said relatively fixed body adjacent the outer sidesof said arms respectively to limit the outward movement of the upperpart of said arms under the action of said reciprocating means and todetermine the closing action of said jaws, said guides being so shapedthat upon exertion of a downward force on said arms by saidreciprocating means said arms move downward in a general axial directionfor a predetermined distance and then are pivoted with respect to saidmovable body to brin said jaws together to close a clip therein.

11. In a machine of the character described, a pair of arms, means tosupport said arms for pivotal movement about points intermediate theirends, a clip closing jaw at one end of each of said arms, said jawsbeing adjacent to and cooperating with each other, means connected tothe other ends of said arms to reciprocate the same in a directiongeneralLv axially thereof, and means to control the pivotal movement ofsaid arms during their axial movement, whereby in one position of axialmovement of said arms, a clip may be fed into said jaws and in anotherposition of axial movement of said arms, the clip in said jaws is closedthereby.

12. In a machine of the character described, a pair of arms, means tosupport said arms for pivotal ,movement about points intermediate theirends, a clip closing jaw at one end of each of said arms, said jawsbeing adjacent to and cooperating with each other, means connected .tothe other end of said arms to reciprocate the same in a directiongenerally axially thereof, means to control the pivotal movement of saidarms during their axial movement whereby in one position of axialmovement of said arms said jaws are spaced apart to receive a clip andin another position of axial movement of said arms said jaws are closedon said clip to close the same, and resilient means operative when saidjaws are relatively open to permit them to yield slightly apart duringthe feeding of a clip thereinto, whereby a clip fed to said jaws isresiliently gripped thereby.

13. In a machine of the character described, a pair of arms, means tosupport said arms for pivotal movement about points intermediate theirends, a clip closing jaw at one end of each of said arms, said jawsbeing adjacent to and cooperating with each other, means connected tothe other ends of said arms to reciprocate the same in a directiongenerally axially of said arms, means to control the pivotal movement ofsaid arms during their axial movement, whereby in one position of axialmovement oi said arms a clip may be fed into said jaws and in anotherposition of axial movement of said arms a clip in said jaws is closedthereby, a horizontally extending post adjacent said jaws having aplurality of clipsstored thereon, and means coordinated with themovement of said jaws to feed said clips one at a time into said jaws.

14. In a machine of the character described, a pair of arms, means tosupport said arms for pivotal movement about points intermediate theirends, a clip closing jaw at one end of each the clip in said jaws isclosed thereby, a horizontally extending post having one end thereofadjacent said jaws and having a plurality of Dartially formed clipsdisposed thereon, a forming shoulder on each of said arms adjacent saidjaws overlapping said end of said post, and movable into formingrelation with clips on said post during the closing of a clip in saidjaws whereby at least one partially formed clip on said post is 0D-erated upon by said forming shoulders each time said jaws come togetherin clip closing relation.

15. In a machine of the character described, a pair of arms, a freelymovable body, means pivoting said arms intermediate their ends to saidbody, a clip closing jaw at one end of each of said arms, said jawsbeing adjacent to and cooperating with each other, means connected tothe other ends of said arms to reciprocate the same in a directiongenerally axially of said arms, and when exerting a force toward saidjaws to exert a relatively outwardly acting force on said arms, means torestrain the downward movement of said arms under the action of saidreciprocating means, means to control the pivotal movement of said armswith respect to said body when said reciprocating means exerts a forcetoward said jaws whereby upon the exertion of said last named force saidarms move in a general axial direction until said restraining meansbecomes operative and then are pivoted with respect to said body tobring said jaws together to close a clip therein, a horizontallyextending post having one end thereof adjacent said jaws and havingdisposed thereon a plurality of partially formed clips, and meanscoordinated with the movement of said jaws to feed clips one at a timeinto said jaws from said post, said jaws having forming shouldersoverlapping said end of said post and movable into forming relation withclips on said post when said jaws are moved together into clip formingrelation.

16. In a, machine of the character described, a pair of arms, means tosupport said arms for pivotal movement about points intermediate theirof said arms, said jaws being adjacent to and cooperating with eachother, means connected to the other ends of said arms to reciprocate thesame generally axially of said arms, means to control the pivotalmovement of said arms whereby in one position of axial movement of saidarms a clip may be fed into said jaws and in another position of axialmovement of said arms ends, a clip closing jaw at one end of each ofsaid arms, said jaws being adjacent to and cooperating with each other,means connected to the other ends of said arms to reciprocate the samein a direction generally axially thereof, means to control the pivotalmovement of said arms during their axial movement, whereby in oneposition of axial movement of said arms a clip may be fed into said jawsand in another position of axial movement of said arms the clip in saidjaws is closed thereby, a clip forming die connected to saidreciprocating means for operation therewith, a post in operativerelation to said clip forming die and having one end adjacent said jaws,means to feed a predetermined length of wire between said post and saidclip forming die, means cooperating with said reciprocating member tocut of! said predetermined length of wire whereby said die cooperatingwith said post may form a clip from said wire about said post forstorage thereon, and means to feed a previously formed clip stored onsaid post from said post into said jaws.

17. In a machine of the character described,

being connected to said member, a cam connected to said member,andmeans' connected to said reciprocating member for reciprocating thesame whereby as said member is reciprocated said die forms clips andsaid cam actuates said fingers to further form said clips.

clip along said post following the forming oper- 18. In a machine of thecharacter described,

means to form substantially U-shaped clips from one end of a continuouslength of wire, means to receive a plurality of said clips for temporarystorage as they are formed, means to perform a forming operation on saidclips while being stored, clip closing jaws, means to actuate said jaws,and means to feed a clip at a time from said receiving means to saidjaws for being acted upon by said jaws.

19. In a machine of the character described, means to form substantiallyU-shaped clips, means to receive a plurality of said clips for temporarystorage, a pair of supplementary forming fingers for performing aforming operation on said clips while being stored, a cam for actuatingsaid forming fingers, clip closing jaws, means to actuate said jaws, andmeans to feed a clip at a time from said receiving means to said jawsfor being acted upon by said jaws.

20. In a machine of the character described, a movable die for formingsubstantially U-shaped clips, means to receive a plurality of said clipsfor temporary storage, a pair of pivoted fingers for performing aforming operation on said clips while being stored, a cam for actuatingsaid fingers, common means supporting said cam and die for actuating thesame, clip closing jaws, means to actuate said jaws, and means to feed aclip at a timefrom said receiving means ation, said feeding operationalso feeding a previously formed clip from said post into said clipclosing, means for closing the same on work.

24. In a machine of the character described, clip forming meansincluding movable means, clip closing means, a post for receiving clipsas they are formed, a pin projecting axially of said post and intooverlapping relation with that portion of said post on which said clipsare received as they are formed, a spring pressed member to which thesaid pin is connected and which resiliently urges said pin into saidoverlapping relation, a cam movable with said clip forming means,-andafollower member connected to said spring pressed member and projectinginto the path'oi movement of said cam whereby as said movable formingmeans moves in One direction to form a clip, said cam actuates saidfollower to move said spring pressed means to move said pin from saidoverlapping relation and as said movable forming means moves in theopposite direction following the clip forming operation, said cam movesfrom operative relation with said follower, said pin is moved axially ofsaid post by said spring pressed member to feed the formed clip alongsaid post and at the same time to feed a previously formed clip fromsaid post into said clip closing means for closing the same on work.

25. In a machine of the character described, a relatively fixed body, apair of arms reciprocable in said relatively fixed body in a generallyaxial direction, a movable body, means pivoting said arms intermediatetheir ends to said body, a

to said jaws for being acted upon by said jaws.

21. In a machine of the character described, means to feed apredetermined length of wire, means to cut offsaid predetermined lengthof wire, means including movable means to form a substantially U-shapedclip fromsaid predetermined length of wire, means to receive clips fromsaid forming means as they'are formed for temporary storage, clipclosing jaws, and common means for supporting and moving said movableforming means and clip closing jaws and for actuating said feedingmeans,saidrclip closing jaws and said movable forming means.

22. In a machine of the character described, means to feed apredetermined length of wire, means to cut off said predetermined lengthof wire, means to form said predetermined length of wire into asubstantially U-shaped clip, means to receive clips from said formingmeans as they are formed for temporary storage, clip closing jaws foryieldably receiving a clip at a time from said receiving means, means toactuate said jaws to move them toward work to be operated upon and toclose a clip therein upon work, and means to feed a clip at a time fromsaid receiving means to said jaws for being acted upon by said jaws.

23. In a machine of the character described, clip forming means, clipclosing means, a post for receiving clips as they are formed, aplurality of pins extending axially of .said post and into overlappingrelation with that part of the post on which said clips are received asthey are formed, means to resiliently maintain said pins in saidposition, and means movable with said clip forming means to axially movesaid pins from said overlapping relation during the clip formingoperation and for permitting said resilient means to move said pinsaxially into said overlapping relation to axially feed the formed clipclosing jaw at one end of each of said arms, said jaws being adjacent toand cooperating with each other, means connected to the other ends ofsaid arms to reciprocate the same in a direction generally axially ofsaid arms, and when exerting a force toward said jaws to exert arelatively outwardly acting force on said arms, guides on saidrelatively fixed body adjacent the outer sides of said arms respectivelyto limit the outward movement of the upper part of said arms under theaction of said reciprocating means and to determine the closing actionof said jaws, said guides being so shaped that upon exertion of adownward force on said arms by said reciprocating means said arms movedownward in a general axial direction for a predetermined distance andthen are pivoted with respect to said movable body to bring said jawstogether, to close a. clip therein, and a yieldable stop for yieldablyresisting movement of said movable body for accentuating the outwardlyacting force transmitted by said reciprocating means upon downwardmovement thereof to insure the closing action of said jaws.

26. In a machine of the character described, a pair of arms, means tosupport said arms for pivotal movement about points intermediate theirends, a clip closingjaw at one end of each of said arms, said jaws beingadjacent to and cooperating with each other, means connected to theother end of said arms to reciprocate the same in a direction generallyaxially thereof, meansto control the pivotal movement of said armsduring their axial movement whereby in one position of axial movement ofarms said jaws are spaced apart to receive a clip and in anotherposition of axial movement of said arms said jaws are closed on saidclip to close the same, resilient means operative when said jaws arerelatively open to permit them to yield slightly apart during thefeeding of a clip thereinto,

whereby a clip fed to said jaws is resiliently gripped nearby, and ayieldable stop for yieldably rmisting the downward movement of said armsupporting means at a predetermined point in their movement in jawclosing direction for cooperating with said pivotal movement control--ling means to insure the closing of a clip in said aws.

27. In a machine of the character described, clip forming meansincluding a movable clip forming die, actuating means for said movabledie, rollers for feeding wire into operative relaiion with said clipforming means, a star wheel for rotating said rollers in feedingdirection, a pivoted dog for rotating said star wheel, means driven bysaid actuating means for reciprocating said dog alonga predeterminedpath for rotating said star wheel a step during each reciprocation, andresilient means for projecting said dog into the path of said star wheeland for permitting the pivoting of said dog out of the path of said starwheel by said star wheel under predetermined conditions of operation.

28. In a machin of the character described,

a post, a movable die for cooperating with said 25 post to form a wireclip thereover, means to feed a predetermined length or wire over saidpost to be operated upon by said movable die, a stripper comprising abar between said wire and said movable die, and a recess in said movabledie for receiving said stripper while said clip is being formed.-

29. In a of the character described, means to form substantiallyU-shaped clips, means to receive a plurality of said clips for temporarystorage,v a. pair of arms, means to support said arms for pivotalmovement about points intermediate their ends, a clip closing jaw at oneend of each of said arms, said jaws being adjacent to and cooperatingeach other, means connected to the other ends of said arms toreciprocate the same in a direction generally axially thereof, means tocontrol the pivotal movement of said arms during their axial movementwhereby in one position of axial movement a clip may be fed to said jawsand in another position of axial movement of said arms the clip in saidjaws is closed thereby, and means to feed a clip at a time from saidreceiving means to said jaws for being acted lmon. by said jaws.

F. JACKSON.

